Kate Middleton and Prince William's move 'surprised a lot of people' in life-changing decision for children

Prince William, 42, and Kate Middleton, 42, moved to Adelaide Cottage successful Windsor Home Park successful 2022 with their 3 children - Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six

A quaint four-bedroom cottage nestled successful the Home Counties whitethorn not beryllium everyone's archetypal thought for Royal digs, but Adelaide Cottage has ticked each the boxes for the aboriginal king and his wife, whose determination "surprised everyone" arsenic they made a life-changing determination for their children, an adept says.

Now the superior residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales, this two-storey treasure lies wrong the expansive, 655-acre Windsor Home Park, a specified 10 infinitesimal locomotion distant from Windsor Castle.

William and Kate, who are some aged 42, bid adieu to their expansive 1A Kensington Palace flat and embraced their caller location successful 2022, seeking a much grounded manner for their young trio – Prince, 11, George, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.

"They are very, precise blessed there. Being capable to unrecorded successful the mediate of Windsor Home Park, wherever they're not overlooked and tin travel and spell successful implicit privacy, makes the downsize from Kensington Palace worthy it connected each level," said royal adept and writer Katie Nicholl. "There's not a immense magnitude of space, but Adelaide Cottage ticks each the close boxes."

The couple's relocation is rumoured to stem from their tendency to assistance their offspring a portion of normalcy, safely tucked distant from Kensington Palace's legions of gawkers. Plus, the determination brought them person to the Queen, who regrettably died conscionable week aft their resettlement.

Despite its humble 4 bedrooms—unlike the adjacent Royal Lodge, which boasts 7 and is location to Prince Andrew—Adelaide Cottage offers plentifulness of country for the family, particularly since they don't person live-in staff. Aides marque the commute to enactment astatine the spot instead, reports OK!.

"I deliberation they amazed a batch of radical erstwhile they moved there," Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe remarks. "There are plentifulness of different places they could person moved to, but Adelaide Cottage fits with their tendency arsenic parents to beryllium a mean family, wherever determination aren't servants and they don't person 30 rooms. William would overmuch alternatively person his kids astir him, successful the rooms adjacent doorway to wherever he's sleeping."

The cottage is noted for its unsocial airy pinkish exterior walls and is nestled among mature trees, providing the privateness the household cherishes.

Its gardens are well-kept and enclosed by perfectly maintained hedges. This year, the cottage has been a peaceful haven for Kate arsenic she recovers from her crab treatment.

"Kate's been capable to spell retired for walks and bask the caller air, alternatively than beryllium cooped up successful immoderate draughty aged palace successful London," Duncan adds. "She's blessed there, with her household astir her."

The cottage, a specified 15-minute thrust from Lambrook wherever the children be schoolhouse and little than an hr from the Middleton household location successful Bucklebury, Berkshire, is connected the market. "The proximity to the schoolhouse and the proximity to Kate's parents makes it perfectly ideal," Duncan remarked.

"The kids walk a batch of clip with their grandparents, and erstwhile William and Kate are some working, the Middletons tin measurement in. That's a immense vantage for immoderate young family."

The cottage, built successful 1831 and named aft King William IV's wife, Queen Adelaide, served arsenic her summertime house. It's a classical illustration of a cottage orné – a French word for 'decorated cottage' – and features distinctive architectural elements similar duplicate chimneys with stepped bases astatine the southbound entranceway and a porte-cochère to support from the weather.

Additionally, there's an eye-catching veranda connected the eastbound side. In October 2022, Kate offered a sneak peek into the interior of Adelaide Cottage, sharing a video during Addiction Awareness Week that included a country from their surviving room, revealing a elemental pick sofa adorned with colourful cushions, surrounded by framed household photos and houseplants.

Prince William and Kate Middleton are believed to person filmed their congratulatory video connection to Team GB pursuing the Paris 2024 Olympics successful the plot of their residence, Adelaide Cottage, acceptable against a backdrop of beauteous roses and lush greenery. Initially, it was thought that the mates would reside astatine the adjacent Royal Lodge, location to Prince Andrew for the past 2 decades.

The expansive mansion, with astir 30 rooms, is importantly larger than Adelaide Cottage and reportedly costs £400,000 annually to maintain. However, earlier this year, rumours circulated that the Duke, whose ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, resides successful a abstracted helping of the lodge, had declined to relocate to Frogmore Cottage, antecedently occupied by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Regardless, William and Kate look contented with Adelaide Cottage, which has been favoured by elder royals for years. Queen Victoria, who spent astir of her reign astatine the neighbouring Windsor Castle, often enjoyed meal oregon day beverage astatine Adelaide.

Her cherished King Charles spaniel, Dash, is buried wrong the grounds, commemorated with a peculiar plaque. Prior to the Duke and Duchess's move, the spot was location to Simon Rhodes, lad of Queen Elizabeth II's cousin, Margaret Rhodes, and Sir Hugh Roberts, erstwhile manager of the Royal Collection.

The astir notorious – and scandalous – past inhabitant of Adelaide Cottage was Princess Margaret's paramour, Royal Air Force Group Captain Peter Townsend. Back successful the 1940s, helium dwelled determination with his spouse, Rosemary, and their offspring.

The matrimony crumbled successful 1952, pursuing which Townsend popped the question to a youthful Princess Margaret astatine conscionable 22. However, owed to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772 and Townsend being a divorcee, Queen Elizabeth II denied her sibling the greenish airy to wed.

Notably unimpressed by the grace and favour residence, Townsend erstwhile scornfully dubbed it an "icebox" due to the fact that of its meagre 2 radiators. Moreover, feeble energy supplied from Windsor Castle lone added to the discomfort.

A professional adjacent lambasted the home's Victorian wallpaper and bulky furnishings arsenic "pokey and unattractive". Thankfully for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a sweeping refurbishment backmost successful 2015 spared them the hassle of redoing the interiors themselves.

Adorned with gilt dolphins and ropework from an aged Royal yacht crossed the maestro chamber ceiling, the cottage is present spruced up. Katie added: "It's cosy, it's not excessively immense and it feels similar home.

"It's cleanable for raising a young household – and raising them the mode Kate and William do, with a motion to their royal status, but a acold greater motion to them being brought up successful arsenic mean and arsenic mean a mode arsenic possible."